How I Got Into Women's Football Part 3

That first year we only won 2 games but it was enough for me to become formally addicted to the sport. I grew up watching football on tv and I guarentee you that I knew more than most middle-aged men. However, a funny thing happens when you actually start playing the game, you understand it on a much more technical level. It was exciting for me to notice a great increase in my understanding when I started watching football after that first season.

That October marked the beginning of an era of tumoil in my personal life. I was in the process of moving to Albany from Eugene and was in Albany at the time. My siblings were at school, my dad was at work, and my mother was at home with the dog when the fire started.

My mother heard a boom like a car accident and looked outside the house to find no sign of anything until she saw smoke coming out of the back of the house. She grabbed the dog, ran out of the house, and called 911. I got a frantic call from her and jumped in my car with the emergency lights going and flew up I-5.

By the time I got there, 3 blocks around my house were blocked off by police and fire fighters. I got clearance to get around and arrived at the front of my house to find my mother who was visibly shaken. The back of the house was engulfed in flames in a way that made you numb because that stuff only happens in movies. It didn't feel like it was my house.

Neighbors were around to try to comfort my family. Channel 2 news from Portland was there covering it. Apparently a couple of firmen got hurt. Insurance people were asking questions. My dad was fighting back tears and trying not to get pissed off at the news people. It was awful.

3 months later my mom was trying to get away and took my sister with her dune buggeying in Florence. The dune buggey caught fire and they had a hard time getting her out of it. She finally did but not before she sustaind 3rd degree burns on 8 percent of her body.

Needless to say, I was struggling with all of this. But one thing that was constant was football and my teammates. Football gave me something to focus on. My teammates were supportive and understanding. It was awesome to feel like I had a second family when I really needed it and I will always be greatful to them.

Going into the second season I felt like I had something to prove. Scratch that. I had everything to prove: to myself, to my team, to my family, to the world. Football helped me pull myself up from the the dust and emerge a much stronger, wiser, and better person.